


I’m not alone...

by TigerMultiverse



Series: RWBY stories [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chapter 12 didn’t happen, Chapter 12?? Don’t know her, Episode Fix-it, Gen, M/M, People are OOC, Qrow Branwen is Ruby Rose's Parent, Tyrian sucks, Volume 7 (RWBY), cus I can’t write, fight me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24693295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerMultiverse/pseuds/TigerMultiverse
Summary: Qrow stood, holding his acing side, and after being told countlessly time and time again by his daughter, kids, friends, Summer, Tai, and Clover, he said:“I’m not alone.”OR, my first RWBY fanfic based on an episode from Volume 6.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, past Qrow Branwen/Summer Rose
Series: RWBY stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885963
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	I’m not alone...

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t fucking write fight scenes...

In one timeline, Tyrian killed Clover with Qrow’s own weapon, he and his kids were declared traitors and ordered to be arrested, James shot Oscar and lost his mind. But that’s not what happened in this timeline. Ruby and her team managed to get his head clear before he even declared martial law, but the airship carrying Tyrian still crashed, and the faunus still managed to stab Clover in the chest but he didn’t die, he was rushed straight to medical and Qrow, out of self-hatred that his semblance caused this, avoided him.

After all that, team RWBY, JNR, Oscar, Qrow, and James got to work defending against Salem and the Grimm and coming up with a plan to defeat her.

They, and the Ace Ops, had begun setting up on the ground near this town when they were suddenly attacked by Salem’s people and some Grimm. They were split up across the place when it happened, and that’s how Qrow found himself alone in this situation…

Qrow stepped onto his Scroll, cutting off his communications to his kids, as he hurried to duck out of sight behind a large crate, trying to catch his breath and calm his erratic heartbeat.

He distantly realized that now he can’t call for help, but that’s not what’s on his mind at the moment. Tyrian had found him, he’s been following him to probably finish the job, that or Qrow’s bad luck is catching up with him. He’s been doing so good with his semblance lately, and now it feels like everything is coming undone. When Qrow finally calmed down a bit, he looked over and saw a dead Atlas soldier leaning against the crate next to him. The shapeshifter jumped back in shock as his grip on Harbinger tightened.

A couple of shots rang out next to him and he jumped out of the way, and saw Tyrian at the level under Qrow, a crazed smile on his face as his mechanical tail swished lazily.

“You know, I was wondering when we would be alone.” Gods, even his voice was stomach-turning for Qrow, memories of what happened when he first met the Faunus and when he nearly killed Clover flooding his mind.

“Stay away from me!” Qrow turned Harbinger into its shotgun for and fired a couple of times at Tyrian, but he just blocked the shots with his tail like it was the easiest thing ever.

“Oh, but I’ve waited for such a long time for a rematch.”

With that, the Faunus launched himself at Qrow and attacked.

Qrow managed to dodge him, and the fight began. Tyrian attacked head-on, each hit from his Queen’s Servants, and the metal tail were blocked by Harbinger. Qrow managed to hit the Faunus a couple of times before he kicked the man away from him.

“Oh oh oh! You know, you’ve managed to make my life more exciting, Qrow! Thank you for that!” Tyrian laughed.

“You’ve been following me and my kids! I don’t want anything to do with you!” Qrow snarled, glaring at the Faunus.

Tyrian launched at Qrow and struck him a couple of times, all being blocked before the shapeshifter jumped off the ledge and launched up to the higher level. Once his feet hit the floor, Qrow turned with Harbinger turned into its shotgun form and pointed, searching for Tyrian before he turned and was hit with a bullet from the Faunus.

Qrow attacked Tyrian, landing good hits before he jumped onto the next level, not even taking a couple of breaths before the Faunus appeared in front of Qrow and started to choke him, pressing him up against the railing.

Qrow gained the upper hand by tumbling them both over the railing. They fell to the ground, Tyrian hitting more tree branches than Qrow on the way down. Both the Huntsman hit the ground with a **‘thud’** and took a moment to get up.

“Stay away from me and my kids.” The shapeshifter said firmly, grip on Harbinger growing tighter as the Faunus laughed.

“Sorry, but that’s not possible. I still have a score to settle with you, and the girl that did _this,”_ he gestured to his mechanical tail with a snarl. “To me.”

Tyrian and Qrow got ready to resume the fight, their stances hardening and gazes locked.

The wind blew past them.

And the cold bit at their skin.

* * *

  
Blades clashed and echoed through the empty forest. Qrow and Tyrian flew through the trees and skidded along the forest floor as their blades met and rang out.

Qrow jumped and backflipped away from Tyrian’s tail swipe before steadying himself and standing off against his wrist blades. The two stared each other down before Qrow kicked the Faunus in the chest and leaped away, jumping through the trees as Tyrian gave chase.

“What can’t do anything but run?!” He laughed as he ran after the shapeshifter.

Tyrian continued to laugh as he raised his arms and fired countless shots at Qrow, the shapeshifter kept leaping away even as he dodged and blocked the bullets.

Qrow swung on a branch and launched himself at Tyrian, who jumped in the air to meet him halfway but was harshly kicked in the chest and he crashed into the ground. The shapeshifter landed and shot a couple of rounds at Tyrian, he managed to hit him a couple of times until Tyrian used his tail to deflect the last of them.

They glared at each other with their weapons raised, then in an instant they moved, Qrow shifted into his namesake and flew into a clearing with a waterfall before shifting back and flipping into a fighting stance as Tyrian came into the clearing and raised his tail.

Qrow glared while Tyrian laughed with glee and they launched at each other.

The Faunus slashed at Qrow multiple times but the shapeshifter just blocked and dodged them with fluid movements. Tyrian shot at Qrow, but he then kicked him and leaped away. The Faunus fired more shots in anger, and Qrow leaped into the air and slashed down at Tyrian a couple of times and gained the upper hand, kicking him in the chest.

Tyrian brought both his wrist blades down on Qrow, who blocked them with Harbinger, and it was clear that Tyrian was beginning to get the upper hand as he cackled.

“It’s very funny to think that you can win!!” Tyrian suddenly swept both arms to the side and pushed, making Qrow stumble and look to the right before pain exploded in his head and he slid along the dirt ground, his ears ringing and head fuzzy.

“Because you're weak!” Tyrian launches at Qrow once he begins to get up and knocks him aside with ease.

“You’re a coward!” He walked up to Qrow and kicked him in the stomach, making him skid on the ground again before he shakingly got onto his hand and knees.

“You're crazy.” Qrow snarled, his aura flickering, but he knew it had no effect on the Faunus once he began laughing.

Tyrian slashed at Qrow again, and he tried to block it with Harbinger but his greatsword was knocked out of his hands and was embedded into the ground.

He chuckled. “It’s funny really. You’ve gotten sober, you turned your life around, and you're surrounded by people you call friends. But you know that one day they’ll leave you, because of your bad luck, because it will catch up with you.” Qrow looked to the side, he knew what Tyrian was implying. All the people that stabbed him in the back, Ozpin lying to him, Raven leaving, Summer’s death, Clover… Distantly, in his mind, a part of him he buried when he got sober and met his Lucky Charm, said that the Faunus was right and it _hurt_. It _hurt_ so bad. He was getting so much better with how he felt about his semblance, he was getting better for his unofficial kids and niece and daughter and now it was all unraveling.

“And that’s why you were always a loner, why you never grew attached, why you lied to the girl you call your niece but is really your daughter. You fought so hard for those children,” as he talked, Qrow could faintly hear the sound of a motorcycle and slightly turned his head. “But now, you're going to die. So tell me, how does it feel, to be alone?”

Silence fell. Tyrian smiled maniacally as he raised his poisoned tipped tail, Qrow quickly looked back to the Faunus and formed a plan.

With a war cry, Tyrian feared his tail back and prepared to strike Qrow but was stopped when the shapeshifter grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into Tyrian’s face. The Faunus stumbled back and yelled as he cleaned the dirt from his eyes.

Qrow stood, holding his acing side, and after being told countlessly time and time again by his daughter, kids, friends, Summer, Tai, and Clover, he said:

“I’m not alone.”

Just then, an Atlas motorcycle came flying over the edge of the waterfall and promptly slammed into Tyrian, making him fall into a heap on the ground and the motorcycle fell into the river.

The person who was riding the motorcycle landed on the ground next to Qrow and stood, stance tall and firm. Clover glared at Tyrian with unwavering determination in his teal eyes. He looked healthier than the last time Qrow saw him, and immediate relief flooded his body.

 **“You.”** Tyrian snarled, and Clover remained indifferent as he got out Kingfisher.

“Clover–Ngh.” Qrow groaned as he fell to his knee and clutched his side.

“Hey, it’s okay. Catch your breath. I can handle him.” Clover gave the shapeshifter a reassuring smile before addressing Tyrian.

“He’s right Qrow, we have unfinished business.” The Faunus laughed and swished his tail.

They stared each other down until Tyrian smiled and launched himself at Clover and slashed at the man multiple times, the Ace Op was pushed back as he blocked each of them before retaliating with slashes and punches and kicks of his own. Clover switched between fighting with Kingfisher and hand-to-hand combat with the Faunus.

Clover surprised him by quickly punching and kicking Tyrian with ease and speed, twisting his arm behind his back and kicking and punching his side.

The Ace Op took Kingfisher back out and trapped Tyrian in its firm line, he harshly jerked the cord and punched Tyrian in the face then kicked him in the stomach. The Faunus grew enraged and spun around in Kingfisher’s line, cutting some of it off with his Queen’s Servants, including the hook and it flew off to the side, before grasping the cord and jerking it out of Clover's grasp and throwing it away.

This didn’t stop Clover, however. He kicked and punched the Faunus with everything he had. Attacking at both sides until Tyrian got the upper hand and caught Clover off guard by punching him in the stomach along with shooting him, sending the Ace Op sliding across the ground next to Qrow, his aura flickering on his being.

Slowly, but surely, Clover stood up with a groan and glared at Tyrian with a steady gaze, showing no fear.

“Leave us alone,” Qrow said firmly, he too was standing with Harbinger gripped tightly in his left hand.

“This is your last chance, Callows.” Clover’s glare hardened at the Faunus.

Tyrian looked between the two Huntsman when he saw that Clover’s hands were shaking. He laughed at the sight of the leader of the Ace Ops shaking.

“Oh! Do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me so you won’t die trying to protect the pretty bird?” He cackled maniacally, purposefully putting emphasis on certain words to spark anger in the man.

Hearing Tyrian’s words, rage built up in Clover’s chest as he got into a position to fight with rage-filled teal eyes. The Ace Op growled and clenched his fists so tight that they were shaking.

But before he could even take a step towards the Faunus, Qrow flattened Clover’s fist and held it in a tight grip, making the Ace Op calm down slightly and look at the shapeshifter.

“He’s not protecting me, Tyrian,” Qrow said, smiling at the bewildered Clover who smiled back before his face turned hard as he looked back at Tyrian. “And I’m not protecting him. We’re protecting each other.”

“You couldn’t win two-on-one in the tundra, what makes you so sure you can win now?” The Faunus chuckled again as he looked at the two.

“I don’t have a choice. I have people who care about me, and I care about them.” As Qrow said that, he squeezed Clover’s hand in his as he glared at Tyrian. “And I swore to always protect them, and never leave them, so I’m not dying now, or anytime soon.”

Silence fell upon them as Tyrian kept looking between them and the Huntsman glared at the Faunus.

“You know, he made the same promise to someone else long ago, to never leave their side. Her name was Summer Rose, wasn’t it?” He chuckled in delight at the clear rage in Qrow’s ruby red eyes. “And look how well he kept it.”

Clover doesn’t know much about Summer, but he had heard about her from Ruby and Yang, and she was mentioned a lot when Ruby and Qrow were alone. She had silver eyes like Ruby and wore a white cloak instead of red. Apparently, when Ruby and Yang were very young Summer was killed in combat, possibly by Salem. It devastated Ruby, Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow, it’s what led to his alcohol problem. At one point when Clover and Qrow were hanging out late at night, the shapeshifter had told the man about Summer and how much she meant to him, and his actual hidden relationship with Ruby. Qrow was Ruby’s biological father, and to keep her safe from Salem, he and Tiyang had to pretend that the latter was actually Ruby’s dad. It broke Qrow's heart but it had to be done so she would be kept safe. They had grown to be good friends at that point, so for Qrow to trust Clover to keep that kind of secret was pretty big, but the Ace Op was glad that his friend told him that.

Clover also knows that the shapeshifter was there when Summer died, and how he blamed himself for taking Ruby’s mother away from her. And once he learned that, Clover swore to convince Qrow that it was never his fault, to begin with. And he would put that into effect now.

“Qrow kept his promise. Salem’s the one who broke it when she murdered Summer Rose.” Clover’s voice was firm and convincing. The two Huntsmen didn’t take their eyes off Tyrian, but Clover could tell how grateful Qrow was for him to say that.

“Oh? Then why did he lie to his daughter about who he was?” Tyrian laughed.

“It’s so much more than that.” Qrow growled.

Tyrian just smiled crazily as he crouched in position to fight. Clover and Qrow let go of each other’s hands and got into their own positions, Clover’s hands and Qrow’s greatsword raised.

Then, they moved, running at Tyrian with great speed as they attacked the Faunus.

Tyrian went to swing at them with his wrist blades and mechanical tail but the two Huntsmen jumped and dodged out of the way. Clover punched and kicked the Faunus, but it didn’t compare to Qrow’s harder and faster punches and moves with Harbinger.

His greatsword clashed with Tyrian’s Queen’s Servants and Clover surprised him by coming up and punching him in the stomach when Qrow leapt away.

Then, Qrow sheathed Harbinger at the small of his back and back flipped over to where Kingfisher’s line lay. He grabbed the cord and threw it at Tyrian, who just hit it back to Qrow. Clover leapt and caught it before it could hit the shapeshifter.

Using his momentum, Clover tugged the line and swung Qrow into the air and over to Tyrian. Qrow was flung high into the air, he brought out Harbinger and slashed down at the Faunus, who blocked the attack with his wrist blades. Their blades shook against their great pressure against each other until a shock wave forced them both back. Tyrian backflipped and landed on his feet while Qrow was flung back into the stone of the waterfall and Harbinger was once again embedded into the dirt ground, Qrow’s back hit the wall and his aura broke. He only just managed to grab onto a stone ledge before he fell into the river bellow.

“Qrow!” Clover called out to his fallen friend in worry before his face turned hard as he faced Tyrian.

“Moment of truth Clover! Are you faster than you were at the tundra?!” Tyrian laughed and his eyes dilated as his tail swished.

Clover gasped, his tight fists shaking for a moment before they loosen and drop a little. He hadn’t thought about the tundra for a while, and now he realizes what he has to do to beat Tyrian.

“Hmph. Me neither.” The Faunus chuckled.

He ran at Clover and swung his blades at him, which were dodged but then Tyrian kept attacking by kicking Clover a few times he barely had enough time to react.

The Ace Op panted as he kneeled in the ground to catch his breath and glared at Tyrian.

“Your aura’s running low, isn’t it?” He jeered.

Then, Clover’s focus was directed to behind the Faunus as he stood and raised his fists. Qrow was climbing up the wall to get back over to them.

“Hit me!”

Clover looked back to Tyrian and dodged his slashes, and saw that he was getting sloppier the more angry he got. But he was still fast, he kicked and slashed at Clover, and sent him sliding across the ground by punching him in the stomach.

Meanwhile, Qrow had gotten high enough and leapt across to the other wall where Tyrian and Clover were and kept climbing.

“You're just a coward like him!” The Faunus screamed as he pointed his Queen’s Servants and shot at Clover. The man just glared and flicked his pin before raising his arms up to block the shots and dust covered him in a cloud. Tyrian ran at the cloud and jumped, his tail raised and eyes purple as he swung down at Clover.

The Faunus had a look of rage on his face as he presumed he had stabbed Clover, but once the dust settled, he stared in shock at what he saw.

There Clover stood, completely fine, firmly holding Tyrian’s tail with one hand as he glared at the Faunus.

“Gotcha.”

Then with a war cry, Clover jerked Tyrian’s tail down and punched him in the stomach, sending him skidding across the ground, dust flying everywhere. Once it settled and Tyrian’s aura broke, he stood up and saw that Clover was still holding his tail.

“I may not be faster.” The Ace Op said as his aura too broke and he looked the Faunus in the eye. “But I’m smarter.”

Then he turned and threw his tail into the river.

“NO!” Tyrian yelled and ran to the edge.

Then Qrow flew up from the edge and punched the Faunus in the face with a cry. He stumbled back over Harbinger and pushed Kingfisher’s back a bit.

Qrow locked eyes on his weapon and he and Tyrian both ran towards the sword, reaching for it while Clover ran over to them. Qrow grabbed Harbinger while Clover grabbed the hook, and with one final war cry, Qrow and Clover stabbed Tyrian in the chest and back. The two Huntsmen glared at the Faunus as blood seeped from his wounds and stained his shirt. Tyrian looked down at his chest and started to weakly chuckle.

Clover and Qrow pulled their weapons out of Tyrian and watched as he took a couple shaking steps toward the ledge and fell to his knees before falling forward into the river.

For a moment, everything was still and quiet, then Qrow began shaking rather violently and breathing quickly as he looked at his blood stained sword.

He just...killed someone.

Tyrian deserves it, sure! But...he took someone’s life.

And everything that he kept bottled up was coming out and all the stress from everything was showing.

Finally, with a sorrowful and agonizing sob, Qrow dropped his greatsword and fell to his knees as tears streamed down his face. Clover dropped Kingfisher’s hook and ran over to his friend, dropping to his knees and embracing Qrow tightly.

“I…I won’t break my promise to you and the kids. I swear…!” Qrow choked out, his grip on Clover tightening. And he means it, he will never break a promise ever again.

Clover gently pressed his lips to Qrow’s hair before breaking their embrace and holding the shapeshifter out at arms length. “I know you won’t.” He said softly, raising a hand to Qrow’s cheek, gently wiping away his tears as they closed their eyes, taking comfort in each other’s presence. They stayed like that for some time, the only sounds heard was the waterfall and Qrow’s crying, but they knew they would be okay.

It was going to be okay, because Qrow wasn’t alone anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> You can imagine Qrow and Clover fighting like Blake and Yang but without those weapons. 
> 
> And most of this doesn’t make sense but that doesn’t matter because this is angst and plot and I like it!


End file.
